Damn It's Good (Street Art)

couple embraces in protective suits

On New Year's Eve, 2010, I met an Art Historian who was trying to focus on Street Art for a Masters Degree. I hope she gets her wish.

I promised to send her the most interesting Street Art links of 2010 I posted on Facebook or (re)tweeted.

As I consolidated the list - it made me see that street art exhibited the greatest innovation and genre invention of all the arts I've witnessed. More so than even photography.

I'm not sure how to define street art. Graffiti comes from the Italian graffio ("to scratch") which was done like bathroom graffiti. Street art has become more than just graffiti.

I excluded my Banksy, SAMO, and early Bronx posts. Time to give the new breeds a try.

I know I'm going to need this list one day again. And nearly every link has one thing in common. You will think: "Damn It's Good."

Biggest tag on earth:

http://www.urbanartcore.eu/tagging-biggest-tag/

(he rode his bike across nyc with a paint can that had a small hole in it)

Subway animation (it's animated by your moving subway windows - very cool!):

http://flavorwire.com/93733/a-virtual-tour-of-the-best-subway-art-in-new-york-city/2

Freedom Tunnel - made by Mole Person (person who lives in NY subway tunnels)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Tunnel

(or near 17 min mark, poem left by Mole Person in subway tunnel: http://holykaw.alltop.com/new-yorks-secret-underground-world-video?tu2=1_)

This is fence art (combined fence posts show a picture):

http://holykaw.alltop.com/creepy-fence-art

3D Sidewalk Art (looks like hole in the ground)

http://gprime.net/images/sidewalkchalkguy/

"Light Art" (mixing light with graffiti)

http://www.mediadump.com/hosted-id126-the-incredible-light-art-performance-photography.html

Suspicious Package:

http://gothamist.com/2010/05/21/suspisious_package_in_soho.php

Made from bird seeds (literally):

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5446095&l=50ac16f6e2&id=502103382

2 feet of snow (after it snowed 2 feet in NYC, 2009)

http://www.twitpic.com/3kkoif

Graffiti made from moss (Brooklyn)

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1n7pFB/www.good.is/post/green-moss-graffiti//r:t

Forced perspective graffiti (completed by passersby):

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5691244&l=d922d00100&id=502103382

(aka reverse graffiti)

Skater Kids playing with light http://tinyurl.com/2uz6mk3

Lit truisms (like Jenny Holzer work)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5775837&l=b51b54e43d&id=502103382

Jenny Holzer:

http://tinyurl.com/32dzj3l

GPS Art

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/100005448/read-ayn-rand-says-gps-artist-no-thanks-i-reply/

Hosier Lane, Melbourne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/18/art-on-the-streets-11-awe_n_680516.html?ref=twitter#s128032

Like Liliput: Tiny People Street Art

http://www.boredpanda.com/little-people-a-tiny-street-art-project/

Children in the street art (rare)

http://xaxor.com/drawings/22756-street-art-by-michael-aaron-williams.html

(read somewhere artist trying to bring awareness to homeless...street art doesn't move unless erased)

Spider Web Tagging

http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/graffiti-art-trend-%E2%80%93-spider-web-tagging/

Knit graffiti

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6033007&l=19cb7adeb5&id=502103382

Mattress Graffiti (Bed Bugs)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5626358&l=e07ac9b39b&id=502103382

Coldest Graffiti

http://holykaw.alltop.com/worlds-coolest-and-largest-artwork

Shadows complete graffiti
http://www.cfun.info/2011/01/shadows-and-drawings.html


Chain of Human Pylons

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/iceland/7949531/Chain-of-human-pylons-planned-for-Iceland.html

Ethnic Hybrid (japanese - american)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6468114&l=45cb0b8037&id=502103382

Leaf Art (shot on 10.10.10)

http://jpgmag.com/photos/2725315/

Creative Placement

http://www.oddee.com/item_97439.aspx

Concrete block art

http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=2987

Manhole cover art

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6842902&l=8ec306b767&id=502103382

Broken City Lab set up huge cardboard letters to call attention to Windsor, Ont "dead-zone"

http://su.pr/4vLQrq

Cool Brooklyn Street Art series

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jaime-rojo-steven-harrington/brooklyn-street-art-2010-_b_798860.html?ref=tw#s211511

Eyes without a face (finding a place) http://ow.ly/3ksar

Street art with perspective (real background is part of the art like Banksy but background is also added!)

http://www.woostercollective.com/2010/12/fresh_stuff_from_c215_1.html

Light illuminations

http://www.lostateminor.com/2010/11/19/g

raffiti-like-light-installations-by-armsrock/

USB Dropbox @newmuseum

http://bit.ly/d7FMzM

Giant Steps

http://goo.gl/fb/g7cld (for aerial view)

Funny Street Art

http://ow.ly/3kv8K

Refreshing Big Faces:

http://illusion.scene360.com/art/13826/gigantic-portrait-art-on-buildings-and-landscape/

Graffiti found behind a New York wall (includes, Samo, Basquiat) -

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/realestate/03post.html

Before I Die....Nola Artist converts abandoned house into Wall of Hope

http://designtaxi.com/news/34492/Artist-Turns-Abandoned-Building-into-Wall-of-Hope/

“One Wish to Change the World” #TED street art http://ow.ly/48E74

This is a good list of 10 world class street artists:

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/10-street-artists-you-should

Open Source: Mapping Street Art Around The World

http://www.streetartlocator.com/